


Smoke

by colorfulmagic



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24488134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfulmagic/pseuds/colorfulmagic
Summary: Bruce has a conversation with his two middle sons. Jason teaches Tim how to smoke, and Bruce doesn’t care for that at all, until he does. Reminiscing is done, and emotions are had by all.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 2
Kudos: 124





	Smoke

Jason stepped out onto the balcony, shivering a little in the cool night air. He reached into his pocket for the pack of cigarettes he was carrying and took a drag absently, relishing the familiar burn in his throat. Being at the manor always made him antsy in some unidentifiable way, though he didn’t regret coming. Alfred's warm face when he saw him had never not put a smile on his face, and Bruce and his relationship was on a tentative mend anyways. The man was off on League business anyhow, so there was no chance of them fighting today. 

He breathed smoke into the cold air and wrapped his arms around the rail, taking in the familiar lawns and forest. His mind was still, for once, and everything was quiet apart from the hooting owls and rustling wind. The balcony door slid open once more, nearly silent, and Tim joined him by the rail. Jason smoked in silence. 

“Want to try?” He offered. 

“Well aren’t you just everyone’s bad friend from high school,” Tim said. Jason snorted. 

Tim squinted at him, then carefully plucked the lit cigarette from his fingers and breathed in. He immediately started coughing, and Jason pounded his back a little, mouth twitching up. If being a big brother meant corrupting his little siblings, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

“You okay,” he asked amusedly. Tim grunted in response, eyes watering. They passed it between themselves for a couple of minutes, Tim becoming steadier each time. “I was, actually.”

“Hmm?”

“The bad kid from high school. I used to hook the rich kids in Groton up with weed and booze when their asshole parents were outta town.”

“You’re kidding. Bruce would always talk about how smart you were, how much you loved reading and shit.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Jason said, amused. “I would deal a little weed on the side, and then I would come home and we would read the Iliad together. Good times. You should’ve seen his face when he found out though.”

“As I recall,” a voice came from behind them. ”I had to donate a new science wing just to convince your principal to let you stay in that school.” Bruce joined them by the rail. Tim guiltily hid the cigarette by his side. Jason, who had no such shame, grabbed another one and lit it. Bruce raised an eyebrow, and Jason shrugged unrepentantly. 

“Come on Bruce, we're not even inside. Be glad I’m not doing it in the dining room.”

“Hn.” He reached out and grabbed it from Jason’s fingers, and Jason expected him to grind it under his feet. Instead he took a long drag, holding it easily between his fingers, and blew out a minute later. “What,” he said, looking at Tim’s shocked face. 

“Nothing. I’ve just never seen you do that, is all.”

“Mm.” He was silent for a moment, then— “Hal Jordan has been getting on my  _ fucking _ nerves,” and Tim started cackling. Bruce’s mouth tilted up on one side. 

“So how bout you, Bruce,” Tim said after he was finished. “You ever pull any of that rebel stuff back in high school?”

“Hm. Not that I can remember. Not that I can remember a lot, from back then. Actually, no, there was that one time I—“ he cut off. “Well.”

“Come on Bruce, you can tell us. Alfred will never find out,” Jason said. 

“He already knows actually. If you must know, I stole the headmaster's car and crashed it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alfred as angry as he was then.”

There was a silence. “Holy shit, Bruce,” Tim said. 

“Okay, yeah, I admit, that’s worse than mine.” Said Jason. “What did he do?”

“He informed me that he was failing my parents memory by letting me go on as I was and almost sent me away to Jacob Kane.”

“Damn,” Jason said, impressed. “I don’t think you’ve ever pulled the shaming your parents’ memory card. Alfred can be a cold son of a bitch when he wants to, can’t he?”

“He was right, anyways, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

“How bout you, Timbo? You ever make Bruce pull his hair out, back in ye olden days?”

“I was actually an extremely well behaved child.” Bruce snorted loudly. Tim turned offended eyes to him. “I was!”

“Oh, you were an angel. Now, on the other hand, is a different story. I hope you don’t think I am unaware of that secret boyfriend you’ve been sneaking around with.”

“Bruce!” Tim protested, face flushing. Jason cackled. He had forgotten, with time, how embarrassing it was trying to keep secrets from Bruce. Especially when those secrets were— well, exactly the kind of secrets a pubescent boy would try to keep from his father. He would never forget the morning he had gone down to breakfast after his morning jerk off and Bruce had calmly asked him, without looking up from his coffee and newspaper, to please clean up after himself after his morning activities because the maids were not paid anywhere near enough to deal with that. He hadn’t been able to look at the man for weeks. What an asshole. Bruce, of course, had just been amused about the whole thing. 

“Twelve year old Tim would also never sneak out with his brother to smoke,” Bruce continued pointedly. 

“Well, you’re here too, so technically I’m smoking with my dad. That probably makes it okay.” Bruce grunted, but it didn’t entirely hide the flash of warmth in his eyes at the word ‘dad’. 

“You were going to do it anyway, might as well do it with me here. God forbid Jason give you some of his more unique blends I’m sure he has hidden away in his apartment.” He took another long drag, then passed it back to Jason. The three of them smoked in silence for a bit, watching the horizon. Jason snuck a glance at Bruce from the corner of his eye. He looked relaxed, for once, slumped down over the rail with the fag held loosely between his fingers. Easy to forget how handsome he was, with his face usually in a perpetual scowl. Harder to forget with the lines smoothed away by the dim moonlight and his tranquil expression. Bruce shifted his head to look him dead in the eye, and Jason held his gaze for a moment before looking away. The lump in his throat wouldn’t leave, and it was hard not to remember easy mornings between the two of them, doing the crossword together and talking about the book they had read the night before. It was the life of a different boy, and Jason had no use for the memories anymore. 

“I’m gonna take off,” he said, jerking his head to the door and grinding the cigarette stub under his foot. “Early morning, you know how it is.”

“Alright,” Bruce said, grave eyes just watching his. “It was good seeing you here. You should come by more often.”

“Right,” Jason said, blinking furiously. Not for him, not for him. The lump in his throat didn’t seem to be going away. He took off into the house, and before he turned the corner he looked back. Tim was leaning into Bruce’s shoulder, Bruce’s arm around him, and they seemed to be talking quietly. Right. Bruce didn’t need him, and he certainly didn’t want Bruce. Thinking any different would just be setting himself up for heartbreak. He left the manor quietly and didn’t turn back. 

———————————————————————

Jason left through the balcony door, and Bruce watched him go for a minute. Never any telling where he stood with that child, though he thought they had been doing fine recently. He made a mental note to ask Alfred if he had noticed anything off with the boy. 

Tim shifted towards Bruce slightly, and Bruce’s mouth twitched. Out of all four of his boys, Tim was probably the one who craved physical affection the most, though he would never demand it like Dick or even Cass. He wrapped an arm around his second youngest, and Tim tilted his head into Bruce’s chest. Bruce’s cigarette was long gone, but Tim still had about half of his. He plucked it from his fingers lightning fast and ground it under his foot. Tim huffed out a laugh, and they stood there in silence for a moment. 

“I’m glad Jason is coming back to the family,” Tim said finally. ”he seems… hesitant, but the roots are there.”

“Hnn. Me too. Although let’s not make this a regular thing, shall we,” he said, jerking his chin towards the ground cigarette. 

“Yeah, okay. Although you’re one to talk.”

“Do as I say, not as I do. in any case, I don’t make a habit of it.” Tim hummed. He was staring at the floor, and his thumb was rubbing over the side of his finger slightly, a tell Bruce was going to have to train him out of. Still, he didn’t tense or make any obvious motion of nervousness, which Bruce was slightly proud of him for. “Do you want to tell me anything,” he said. Tim looked up at him, startled, then rolled his eyes with a grin playing at the edges of his mouth. 

“Never could keep anything a secret from you,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s just— you’re not actually mad about the boyfriend thing, are you? I know we never... had some conversations—“

“Tim,” Bruce leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of his son’s head. “You’re fine. I would appreciate it if you and Kon could keep your activities outside the manor, but it’s not the fact that you’re interested in boys that I have a problem with, I promise.” 

Tim nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Thank you. Good talk. How the hell did you know about our ‘activities’, I thought we were being so subtle!”

“I’m Batman,” Bruce said, and Tim barked a laugh. “Besides,” Bruce added. “It would make me kind of a hypocrite if I was mad at you for being interested in men.” He waited for that to land. Tim twisted away, staring up at him. 

“Shut up,” he said. “You’re— why didn’t you ever tell me?” Bruce shrugged, still looking out at the lawns. Tim digested this new information in silence, slumping against Bruce in thought. Dawn was creeping in now, and the birds were chirping a loud ruckus. 

“Who else knows?” Tim asked softly. Bruce furrowed his brow. Oliver Queen, John Constantine, Jason Blood, Harvey Dent, maybe Hal Jordan if the looks they had been giving each other lately amounted to anything— “Not whoever’s on your list,” Tim said hastily, correctly interpreting Bruce’s silence. “I mean… in the family.” 

Oh. Bruce’s face smoothed. “You. Dick, maybe, I was never quite sure about that one. That’s it.”

“Huh,” Tim said. “Thank you for telling me,” he added quietly. Bruce said nothing, but he tightened his grip around Tim slightly. They watched the sun creep over the trees in silence for a moment, and Tim yawned. 

“Bed,” Bruce said firmly. Tim didn’t protest, which said more about his level of exhaustion than anything else could. Bruce ducked under and slung Tim over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry before Tim could get a word out, and though Tim could easily have slipped out of his hold he simply snorted in laughter and half heartedly protested. Bruce carried Tim to his room, the boy slightly underweight for his age, and tucked him in. He might have been slightly too old for it, but none of his children, save perhaps Dick, had ever gotten this when they were actually young, so he had resolved to make up for lost time. 

“Hey B,” Tim said blearily. “You could tell them, you know. The rest of ‘em. They wouldn’t see you any differently.”

“Hn,” Bruce said. “I know.” He knew no such thing. “Maybe I will.” He would not. Tim’s eyes stared at him knowingly, but he didn’t challenge him. He pulled the sheets up higher over his head and shut his eyes. Bruce smoothed Tim’s hair back from his forehead and placed a careful kiss there, which Tim leaned into slightly, then left the room. 

**Author's Note:**

> The experience Bruce talks about with stealing the headmasters car is fully credited to Audreycritter in her beautiful fic wrecked. 
> 
> Comment below if you enjoyed!


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